Adopting active learning at the university level ¹

At-A-Glance

Current behavior:

Professors use frontal lectures in traditional classroom setups.

Desired behavior:

Professors incorporate interactive activities into class, often using modified layouts and new technology.

Change approach:

Interactive workshops, peer testimonials, instructor gatherings, and one-on-one consultations got professors to try the new approach.

Impact:

Professors have eagerly embraced active learning: over 500 instructors have incorporated it into their teaching, and they have collectively reached over 31,000 students at the University of Iowa. Demand for the interactive classroom far exceeds their availability.

Implications for implementing partners:

In settings where instructors have maximal autonomy, rely on many different approaches to build support for change; don’t underestimate the role of self-efficacy, even for highly-accomplished professionals.

Implications for supporting partners:

Think ahead about the resources that will be required to fully support a change if it catches on widely (e.g., additional classroom renovations).

Active learning differs significantly from traditional college lectures by incorporating interactive student engagement and problem-solving into class, often using technology and modified classroom layouts. The University of Iowa has been a pioneer in active learning through its Transform, Interact, Learn, Engage (TILE) program.

To build faculty enthusiasm for TILE courses, the university hosted open conversations and workshops for faculty, including first-person peer testimonials from a professor at another university. An initial group of early adopters signed up, though even some of them had concerns about the approach. One professor who was committed to reducing student inequality worried that the reliance on technology would exacerbate disparities among students. However, when she saw how TILE helped level the playing field by providing more opportunities for participation for all students, she was convinced of its merits.

TILE provided several resources to aid faculty adoption – all guided by faculty advisors who expressed what they would need to successfully adopt TILE courses. It offered workshops to teach new users about TILE courses – using the workshops as an opportunity to model the interactive, team-based learning style of TILE, and asking participants to role-play as TILE instructors and students. Having hands-on experience using the system in a safe training setting boosted confidence for those less comfortable with the technology. TILE also provided instructor gatherings where new and experienced TILE instructors could compare notes and share best practices, and one-on-one consultations from teaching and technology experts. On top of these, the program found that getting the buy-in of department chairs was critical for boosting adoption, and especially for giving junior faculty the space to take risks and invest in the new approach.

Faculty enthusiasm for the program grew significantly, to the point that the clear limiting constraint for more active learning was the lack of funding to convert more classrooms.

Faculty enthusiasm has grown for the program over its eight years of operation – over 500 instructors have signed up for the training and incorporated it into their courses, and over 31,000 students have enrolled in classes taught in the TILE classrooms. The clear limiting constraint for a while became funding to convert more classrooms to TILE spaces.